Q: Can I change my address over the phone? A: No, it must be changed in writing. You may change by email, fax, or regular mail.
Q: When do I need to change my address? A: Within 30 days of the change.
Q: What are the Dental Board office hours? A: Our office is open 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday except for state holidays.
Q: How do I get a license verification from the Kansas Dental Board to obtain licensure in another state? A: Make your request in writing including your information and where you want the verification sent. There is a $50.00 fee that must be received before the verification will be processed.
Q: Do extended care permits need to be renewed? If so when and how much does it cost? A: They are renewed with your hygiene license. There is a $5.00 cost for the pocket card for new permits.
Q: What is the Dental Board’s mailing address? A: 900 SW Jackson, RM 564 S, Topeka, KS 66612.
Q: Does the board license dental assistants, if not who licenses them in Kansas? A: Currently there is no licensing agency for dental assistants in Kansas.
Q: How long do you have to keep patient records?What types of records are required of a dental office to keep and for how long? A: All patient records must be kept for ten years from the last date of service. The regulation that the board would have the authority to enforce is described in KAR 71-1-15 Dental recordkeeping requirements.
Q. Can I post a copy of my license card or certificate, or do I pay for a duplicate license? A. A photocopy is permissible. The fee for duplicate license is intended if you lose or misplace the original.
Q. What is a malpractice panel and do they have them for dentists? A. K.S.A. 65-4901 states all health licensing boards are to keep a list of those willing to serve on a malpractice screening panel for the district courts. The panel has 90 days to make a recommendation on whether or not the health care provider was below the standard of care in a pending lawsuit. The panels are selected from those dentists who checked yes on renewal forms.
Q: If a continuing education course or workshop has been previously approved by the Kansas Dental Board for continuing education credit does it need to be approved every time it is offered? A: The course/workshop must be reported to the Board when the class is offered, but if the course has already been approved and the course content has not changed the course does not need to be approved every time it is presented.
Q: What are the regulations on the business sign for listing hygienists? Do they all have to be listed or just the dentist’s name? A: Hygienists are required to have their licenses displayed in the office. Their names can also appear on the exterior business sign or any other sign for the office but it is not a required.
Q: Does a dental hygiene student’s clinical hours while at college count toward the 1200 hours required prior to receiving an extended care permit (ECP)?. A: No. The 1200 hours must be under the direct/general supervision of a dentist in the office.
Licensure
Q: What are the application fees? A: For licensure by exam:
Examination fee-$200.00 (dentists) or $100.00 (hygienists)
Prorated fee- varies, contact the office
Wall certificate fee-$25.00 For licensure by credentials:
Application fee- $300.00 (same for dentist and hygienist)
Wall certificate fee- $25.00
Prorated fee- varies, contact the office
Background fee- $200.00 (dentists) or $100.00 (hygienists)
Q: What is a prorated licensure fee? A: The prorated fee varies depending on the month of licensure. You will pay for part of the renewal period, instead of the entire renewal fee; i.e., If getting licensed in December in a non-renewal year the new licensee will pay ½ the renewal fee.
Q: Which documents must I send originals of? Which documents can I send copies of? A: You must submit originals of your transcript, verification of licensure from other states, and letters of recommendation. The application contains an instruction sheet, go to our website www.kansas.gov/kdb at forms and applications link on the homepage.
Q: When can I schedule my Jurisprudence (JP) exam? A: The JP exam can be scheduled once the office has received your application. You can take the exam in the board office by appointment, call 785-296-6400 to schedule, or by arranging an offsite examination with a proctor, who must be school faculty who is approved by the Kansas Dental Board.
Q: What is the difference between licensure by exam and licensure by credentials or qualifications? A: Licensure by credentials applies to dentists who have a current license in another state for 5 years or hygienists who have a current license in another state for 3 years. Licensure by examination is for newly graduated applicants, dentist who have not practiced for more then five years, or hygienists who have not practiced for more then 3 years.
Q: Will a criminal conviction prevent an applicant from being licensed? A: Any negative information in your background, such as convictions, or a discipline in another state, will create an automatic summary denial of your license. If you request a hearing, the board will review the case and will make the decision on whether or not to grant a license. They will look at these on a case by case basis.
Q: If I graduated from dental school in another country, will Kansas license me? A: Kansas licenses graduates of ADA/CODA approved dental schools. Canada and Puerto Rica have some approved schools.
The Kansas statute that has caused the confusion about opportunities for foreign trained dentists in Kansas is
KSA 65-1426 …..”(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), the board shall consider an application of: Any graduate of a dental school which has not been approved by the board if the applicant successfully completes a course of remedial or refresher instruction offered by a dental school or college where both the course and the school have been approved by the board.”
If a foreign trained dentist takes an approved refresher course then they can be considered for a license…so then the question becomes, has the board approved any of these refresher courses within approved dental schools.
The Board has not had any dental schools provide a package of information for the board’s approval of any refresher courses, so there are no approved refresher courses…therefore; no foreign trained dentists (other than some Canadian dental schools and Puerto Rico) will be able to qualify for licensure in Kansas. Q: What are the approved dental hygiene programs in Kansas? A: Johnson County Community College, Wichita State University, Colby Community College, and the Ft. Scott Community College on the Pittsburg, Kansas campus.
Renewals
Q: When does my dental/hygiene license expire? A: In 2007 all hygienists will renew. If they have an even license number (license number ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 they will renew for 1 year, and will renew again in 2008. In 2008 they will renew for two years and then every even year following.
If they have an odd number ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 they will renew for 2 years and every odd year following.
All dentists will renew in 2008. If they have an even license number, ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 they will renew for 2 years as usual. If the dentist’s license number is odd and ends in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 - they will renew for 1 year, to 2009. In 2009 they will renew for 2 years and every odd year following.
Q: When are late fees assessed and how much are they? A: Late fees are assessed on February 1st following their expiration year if they failed to renew. The fee is $500.00.
Q: When are licenses cancelled? A: All licenses are cancelled March 1st following their expiration year if they failed to renew. If the license is cancelled, to become active again, the applicant must reapply.
Q: What are the renewal fees? A: For dentists biennial renewal the fee for the two year renewal is $300.00.
For hygienist biennial renewal the two year renewal is $150.00
Q: How many continuing education hours (CE) do I need? A: Dentists are required to have 60 hours of CE.
Hygienists are required to have 30 hours of CE.
Q: When do my CEs need to be taken? A: Between December 1st of the year you renew and December 1st of the year of your next renewal. (ex. For a licensee renewing in 2008 the CE must be completed between December 1st, 2006 and December 1st, 2008).
Q: How many hours need to be in my specialty? A: A dentist with a specialty must have 40 CE hours of the required 60 CE hours in courses in the specialty for which the licensee holds a specialty certificate.
Q: Do I need to send in my CE certificates? A: You do not need to send in your CE certificates with your renewal. If you receive a letter from the Dental Board that you are being audited you then need to send in your CE certificates.
Q: If I am not currently working in my profession but don’t want to cancel my license what are my options? A: You can either continue to maintain an active license or you can put your license into a retired status.
Q: What is the “processing fee”? A: The processing fee is $50.00. It is charged for failure of the licensee to update/change their address with the board office within 30 days of the change. It is a violation for dentists and hygienists to fail to report a changed office location (dentist) or residential address (hygienist) within 30 days.
Complaints
Q: Can I make a complaint over the phone? A: Complaints must be made in writing. If you have internet access you may visit our website at www.kansas.gov/kdb and you will find the complaint form link on the home page. You can also send a letter, fax or email with a description of your complaint, providing names of the dentist or hygienist, plus patient’s name and dates of the incident.
Q: Can I make an anonymous complaint? A: Yes, but the complaint must be in writing, by letter, fax, or email.
Q: Will I be informed when the investigation of my complaint is complete? A: Yes, you will receive notification when the case has been closed. If the case results in a discipline you will be provided a website where a copy of their discipline order can be found.
Q: Who can make a complaint? A: A complaint can be made by anyone, including other dentists or hygienists.
Q: What kinds of issues does the board investigate? Can they help me get financially reimbursed? A: The Dental Board investigates all complaints. If the complaint is that the patient wants their money back, or that the fees are too high, this may be a case that would be more appropriately filed with the Kansas Dental Association (KDA). The KDA can be reached at 785-272-2301 or visit their website www.ksdental.org/.
Records
Q: How do you handle patient records when you close your practice? A: You are required to save patient records for 10 years. As the dentist, you are responsible for the patients having access to their records and must notify them by way of letter, newspaper, TV, radio, sign on the door, telephone message or a combination of all to let them know you are retiring or leaving. Let them know how to contact you or the person who is storing your records. You need to arrange for them to have access to their records; this is usually done by selling or giving the records to one or more local dentists, or storing them yourself.
You can send a letter to all patients and ask them to pick up their records, and in the same letter, provide an address for them to contact to retrieve their records in the future. After waiting for a month or two, dispose or shred records for patients you have not seen in 10 years. Each year after that, you can dispose of another year’s worth, until, after 10 years of closing your business, you will be left with no more records.
Q: Are patients entitled to a copy of all of their dental records to include x-rays and notes? A: Yes, patients have the right to a copy of their medical records. The following Kansas statute describes the costs the provider can charge for the records. A dentist refusing to provide these records is against the public health statutes, and could be seen as an issue with the dental board, since, denying them their records could delay their treatment by another dentist.
The term “shall” means the records have to be provided to the patient.
KSA 65-4971. Same; copies of health care records; authorization; health care provider withholding; fees. (a) Subject to applicable law, copies of health care records shall be furnished to a patient, a patient's authorized representative or any other person or entity authorized by law to obtain or reproduce such records, within 30 days of the receipt of the authorization, or the health care provider shall notify the patient or the patient's authorized representative of the reasons why copies are not available. A health care provider may withhold copies of health care records if the health care provider reasonably believes that providing copies of the requested records will cause substantial harm to the patient or another person. Health care providers may condition the furnishing of the patient's health care records to the patient, the patient's authorized representative or any other person or entity authorized by law to obtain or reproduce such records, upon the payment of charges …(Latest fees are below)
The all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose from 188.9 in 2004 to 195.3 in 2005. This represents an increase of 3.4 percent. This change is applied to the medical fee costs schedule below.
Prices for 2006
Cost of supplies and labor $16.29
First 250 pages $0.54 for each page
Additional pages $0.38 for each page
Q: What are the x-ray requirements for a dental office? A: Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment regulates radiology in the state. A dental office must keep a separate log with patients’ names, operators name, date and type of film(s). You can click on the KDHE website for information at http://www.kdheks.gov/radiation/download.html.
Q: Once a patient dies, does the office still have to maintain records for 10 years from the last date of service? If not, how long do they have to keep them on file? A: Because the law does not make specific reference to deceased patients ALL patient records are to be kept for the required period of time. This can be in hard copy or on a computer disk.
Practice
Q: If a dentist’s license is in “retired” status can the dentist still prescribe for “personal use”? A: A dentist should not prescribe for personal use no matter what his/her license status is. If a license is in “retired” status, the dentist should not be working (except in certain charitable situations as noted in the statutes) and have no reason to prescribe.
Q: What are the regulations in regards to ZOOM whitening machines? For example, who is eligible to use the machine on patients, and does the dentist need to be present in the office when it is being used, etc? Is it legal for dental hygienists to use lasers? A: At recent Board meetings questions have been presented regarding lasers, diagnodent units and “special bleaching equipment” like the Zoom light. The policy statement issued by the Board in January 2006 was that the Dental practices act does not pertain to a specific piece of equipment but rather the board looks at the intended use of that equipment. In the case of the Zoom light, KSA 65-1423(a)(8) along with 65-1423(a)(8)(A) and 65-1423(b)(1) should be applied.
Q: Can a hygienist do a zoom whitening when the dentist is out of the office? A: Yes, if the patient has been seen by the dentist within the last 12 months and the procedure is authorized by the dentist.
Q: What is the difference between laser de-epithelialization and soft tissue chemical curretage? A: The laser uses "light amplification " and the resultant energy to burn and destroy tissues that they come in contact with, whereas the chemical curettage uses one of several types of chemicals to necrose or destroy the outermost epithelial layer in the sulcus.
Q: Can a 4th year dental student function as a dental hygienist in a dental office with supervision of the dentist? A: The student can perform the duties that any other dental assistant is allowed to perform with the same restrictions and freedoms. He/she cannot practice hygiene or dentistry outside of the dental school or one of the dental school's approved externship programs. If the student is found to be performing the duties of a licensed person in the state of Kansas, it could adversely affect his/her future ability to obtain a license.
Dental Assistants
Q: Can a dental assistant place a temporary filling? A: Yes. If the assistant is working under direct supervision. "Direct supervision" means that the dentist is in the dental office, personally diagnoses the condition to be treated, personally authorizes the procedure and before dismissal of the patient evaluates the performance;
Q: Can a non-scaling dental assistant polish with a cup? Can they do sealants? A: An assistant can use a prophy cup to polish the coronal, supragingival (above the gumline) portion of the teeth. KAR 71-6-6 requires that before an assistant may coronal polish teeth, they must have received appropriate training from the dentist.
An assistant can apply sealant material to the teeth and cure the material as long as the assistant is working under the direct supervision of a dentist. (See definition above)
Last updated 1/24/2008
The Kansas Dental Board is located in Room 564-S, of the Landon State Office Building, 900 SW Jackson Street, Topeka, KS, 66612.
